It Wasn't in Vain
by TheTime-TellingRaven
Summary: **Minor Spoilers & Alternate Canon**Rico discovers Ian after the Battle of Trost.


Rico whirred past the countless buildings of the destroyed city of Trost. Rubble and dead bodies - both human and Titan - blurred by as her wires pulled her forward. Her pale eyes flashed around her peripheral, trying to take in everything and nothing all at once. Rico's heart was beating at a pace so fast she feared it might hammer out of her chest. Her breathing was sporadic, and tears stung her eyes, but she refused to give in to her emotions; not now, not when she didn't even know if he was alive.

The woman was about to latch her hook into another wall when she spotted him. She slowed down instantly, platinum blonde hair whisking forward and joints cringing at the sudden balk; and she landed near him, or what was left of him. Even if he was alive, he wouldn't be for long.

Rico staggered over to the male, fatigue finally starting to pull her down. She collapsed next to him, the fabric of her pants soaking in dirt and blood. Her small hands gingerly grazed his cheeks and ran through his blood-matted hair before she pulled his head into her lap, the dark liquid coating him seeping through to her very core, it seemed.

"I-Ian.." she breathed, voice wavering with untold emotion. She bent over and brought her ear to his chest. 'He's still breathing... Thank Sina..' "Ian, please, speak to me." Her hand brushed against his forehead and cheekbone, before coming to rest on his jaw. More tears came to her eyes the harder she tried to blink them away. "Please, Ian..."

The man groaned softly before cracking his good eye open; the other had been torn out, brutally, by the amount of blood covering the right side of his face. He brought his shaking hand up and swept away some of the hair framing the woman's face. She clasped Ian's hand with her own and laced their fingers together; she laid them gently against her collarbone. He chuckled breathily.

"Rico..." She shushed him and softly brushed her thumb along his lower lip. "Rico, please, listen to me... Just this once.." Her grey eyes widened slightly at hearing his words. She exhaled shakily as a tear trickled down her dusty cheek, and she nodded. He simply smiled and winced as he breathed in. "Rico, none of this was in vain.." He noticed her gaze wasn't locked with his own. "Look at me."

Rico returned her bleary eyes to Ian's battered and bruised face. "Why are you telling me this?" she whispered, brows creasing in confusion. She didn't want to hear this; not while he was in this shape.

An impish smile graced his features. "Because you need to hear it..." A pained shudder coursed through his body, and he squeezed his eye shut. It was now that she really noticed how severe he was. In addition to his missing eye and part of his face being nearly black with bruising, Ian had also lost a portion of his right shoulder and all of his arm; a deep laceration ran across his broad chest, blood bubbling to the surface from his sudden movement; and his left leg and hip were twisted at an odd angle, probably broken in several places. Several smaller cuts and puncture wounds littered his strong body; and infection was starting to set in on a bite mark on his right leg.

A shuddering gasp escaped Rico's lips as she evaluated the damage. The man on her lap grunted and tightened his grip on her hand, and his jaw clenched in time with his pulse. He didn't have much time left.

"I-Ian? Come on, Ian, you can pull through.." she started, bending her back to bring her face closer to his. More of the clear droplets started to fall down her cheeks, and a small sob jolted her body. She held his hand against her face and snaked her other arm underneath his head to prop him up.

Rico leaned down and brushed her lips against his forehead. Ian's eye opened again, and he smiled gently as she pulled back. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her mouth down to his. They could both taste tears, blood, sweat, and dirt, but right now, they didn't care. How could they?

The woman tilted her head to the side, deepening the kiss; he reciprocated in kind. She felt him murmur, "It wasn't in vain..." against her lips. She pulled away, colorless streaks adorning her features, and stared at the male with wide eyes. It was then she realized that he wasn't breathing; his skin was settling with a sickly pallor, and he was growing cold. She listened for a heartbeat a second time. His heart had fallen silent.

Rico raised her head in disbelief, silver orbs glassed over with fresh tears. She took his face in her shaking hands. "Ian? Ian, please.. Wake up! Ian?!" A violent sob rippled through her as all of her pent up emotions bubbled to the surface: anger, sorrow, confusion, betrayal, love. The platinum blonde rested her forehead against Ian's, the stickiness of the dark red adorning it attaching to her own in a crude likeness to glue. Crystalline tears dripped onto the male's face, washing away bloody splotches.

Rico raised her head again, a cold, steely look in her eyes. She lightly swept her lips across his own before laying him down on the ground and standing. Her features held determination as she stared down at him. She sighed and turned her head to the boulder in the wall. Humanity had won the battle.

"Hm, it wasn't in vain, was it?" she spoke, slight bitterness in her tone as she readied her wires again. "Thank you..." She nodded at her fallen comrade before firing her hooks and whizzing away to return to the wall.


End file.
